contagious

A significant proportion of the nose or mouth tumors of canine transmissible cancer were found in male dogs. Credit: Jan Allen/ AMRRICSniffing or licking other dogs’ genitalia – the common site of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor – can spread this unusual cancer to the nose and mouth.A new research study has found that male dogs are four to five times more likely than female dogs to be infected with the oro-nasal form of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT).Scientists believe this is because of behavioral…

Ever wondered why watching someone yawn instantly triggers a similar urge in you to open your mouth? While scientists have understood the physiological purpose behind yawning, the reason why it is so contagious among social animals has kept them puzzled. According to Andrew Gallup, an evolutionary biologist from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute and author of the paper, yawning could be a way for animal groups to synchronise with each other and coordinate group behaviours.One usually yawns while…

Far and wide around the world, a whole bunch of animals are yawning right now. Maybe they're ready to sleep; maybe it's because they're hot and bored.But if one thing is certain, the very thought of yawning makes us want to open our mouths and take a deep breath for some reason. (I've already stifled several yawns, and I'm barely a paragraph in.)  While scientists are reasonably confident they understand the physiological purpose of yawning, the reasons it's so contagious among social animals is still unclear.As is often…